Before I begin I would like to say I really love the forum, but there seems to be an issue I see show up a lot on this forum. When it comes to this community there is a lot of good ideas for video games, but it seems like itís hard for any of those ideas to get much traction. I think this is because it is hard to get a group together with the right skill set to execute them.

I donít think this is necessarily because the community lacks members that can animate/code/write/ect but is instead a visibility problem. To solve this I would like to request that a new subforum to be added that can allow members who are trying to organize projects to more easily find coders/animators/writers/ect, and make it easier for members looking to contribute to a project to find projects that need help.

The way I see it structured is that project/member registry subforum is added and inside there is a section for programmers, artists, animators, writers, audio specialists, and projects. Then in each section members could make a post saying Iím working on organizing X project and need Y people or I have X skill set and I am willing to volunteer/work for pay/ect. The project section would also be different from the project ideas section as projects posted in this section should be fleshed out and ready for development.

To give you an example of how I am thinking this could work here is how I picture a post for a member looking to volunteer would look like:

Good day everyone my name is X and I am a programmer. I know how to write in [list of Y language(s)] and have worked in [list of Z game engine(s)]. I am willing to volunteer to work on projects. If you have a project that needs a programmer please [method of contact i.e. send me a PM].

And project may look like this:

Hello, I am X and I am working on project Y. I am looking for [list of needed skill sets (animator/coder/ect)]. I am [willing/not able] to pay for work. [Details of the project]If you are interested [method of contact]

Iím sorry that this post is so long. I wanted to make sure I got in all the detail covered, and tbh Iím quite tired right now so I am probably not as concise as I could have been. Thank you all for your time. [/list][/list][/list]

I've definitely read the post. I'm considering the pros and cons, and the biggest obstacle I see is that usually, a programmer attracted to this forum will probably already have a project in mind that they want to work on, and therefore won't be willing to work on other people's ideas. As for artists, animators, etc. I actually don't know if we have a wealth of those on here. The forum isn't necessarily well known.

I'd love for people who are actually free (in terms of projects) that are animators, artists, programmers, etc. to reply here and prove me wrong. I'd gladly setup a board to help facilitate any connections in that case.

One of the primary problems faced by people in this community is that games of any real complexity are very difficult to develop, especially on your free time. They require artwork, animation, writing, design work, programming, porting, and testing. Often, real life issues will draw people away from their work, causing a game to go undeveloped for long periods, or become abandoned entirely.

One of the best ways to combat both of these issues is to encourage people to team up in developing projects. If people with different skill sets get together, it will both increase the speed of production for projects, and increase the overall quality of those projects. It may also make some projects that were previously impossible suddenly possible. And, it should increase the completion rate for projects, as if there are multiple people working on a project, then it is more difficult for any one of them to simply quit, and if one of them has to step away, then it's more likely that the established group will be able to find someone else, or to have redundancy already in place.

To be perfectly honest, I think that individual developers need to start recognizing the futility of their efforts going it alone. There are a few unicorns out there that are pushing on with their projects despite their isolation, but the majority of the projects on this board, and elsewhere, are either stalled or outright abandoned. If there is even a chance that we can help solve this problem by creating a place for people to seek or offer help, then I don't see a compelling reason why we aren't doing it.

I've definitely read the post. I'm considering the pros and cons, and the biggest obstacle I see is that usually, a programmer attracted to this forum will probably already have a project in mind that they want to work on, and therefore won't be willing to work on other people's ideas. As for artists, animators, etc. I actually don't know if we have a wealth of those on here. The forum isn't necessarily well known.

I'd love for people who are actually free (in terms of projects) that are animators, artists, programmers, etc. to reply here and prove me wrong. I'd gladly setup a board to help facilitate any connections in that case.

Kilif, I understand, but must respectfully disagree with your reasoning. I think you are looking at it the wrong way. As MOP points out it is about encouraging people to team up with projects. So, what you need to ask your self is what is the goal of your site. Is it to simply spread WG related games and content, or is it to encourage the development of WG related games. If itís the former this entire thread in invalid, but if it is the latter something like this could help encourage working together in the community.

Also, something like this could make technical talent more visible and draw in artistic talent that is looking for that from other sites like DA and FA. Just because your forum is not well known now does not mean it wonít keep growing (especially with how niche WG and expansion are). Finally, I estimate your site has around 800 registered users, even if only 25% of them are really active that is still a large pool of possible talent, and that is before even counting guests who are not registered but just look through the forum every so often.

You may counter with the Project Ideas section is meant to take care of the above issues, but when I look through it, it is hard to see who is just pitching an idea, hoping someone else will pick it up or who is serious about organizing a group. I think MOP is right. While I may disagree with his final statement (its ok to go it alone if you want) I feel the community as a whole would benefit by getting out of their bubbles and working together, and I believe more are willing to work together then you might think.

With that all being said you own the forums, and it is your decision, so I will respect your choice either way. I thank you for your consideration and time Kilif.

I'd love for people who are actually free (in terms of projects) that are animators, artists, programmers, etc. to reply here and prove me wrong. I'd gladly setup a board to help facilitate any connections in that case.

I'm a programmer who (had) nothing to work on. I found a project now but it took a while! I'm good at engine work, so whenever I try to make something on my own I end up with a good system containing exactly zero content.